The Korea Herald

Australian study points to potential cure for AIDS

Jan 17, 2013

SYDNEY (AFP) ― An Australian scientist said Wednesday he had discovered how to turn the HIV virus against itself to stop it progressing to AIDS, describing it as a major breakthrough in finding a cure for the disease.David Harrich, from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, said he had successfully modified a protein in HIV that the virus needed to replicate and instead made it “potently” inhibit virus growth.“I have never seen anything like it. The modified protein works every time,” sa
Common hip problems

Jan 17, 2013

The hip is the joint that connects the pelvis to the leg. Pelvic disease often occurs in this joint, which supports much of the body’s weight and has a structure commonly described as a ball and socket. When walking, the joint can be placed under 3-4 times more pressure than caused by body weight, and when running, this pressure can be 10 times more.Pelvic disease can occur after the middle-aged years. Fractures For younger people, fractures around the joint are usually caused by serious acciden
Stem-cell venture goes offshore to sidestep regulations

Jan 17, 2013

Firm at odds with uthorities over overseas perations on Koreans esperate for treatment
‘Leadership gene’ found: study

Jan 17, 2013

Certain qualities that allow a person to become a leader can be inherited, according to a recent study.“We have identified a genotype, called rs4950, which appears to be associated with the passing of leadership ability down through generations,” said the study’s lead author Jan-Emmanuel De Neve from University College London.De Neve, with colleagues from Harvard University, New York University and the University of California, analyzed genetic samples of about 4,000 individuals and found signif
Psychiatric disorders prevalent in inmates

Jan 17, 2013

Psychiatric disorders are prevalent among inmates, and mental-health treatment could help former inmates reintegrate into society, U.S. researchers say.Study co-author Jason Schnittker of the University of Pennsylvania, Michael Massoglia of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Christopher Uggen of the University of Minnesota said most common psychiatric disorders found among former inmates, including impulse control disorders, emerge in childhood and adolescence and, therefore, predate incarc
Vaccinated mothers are safer for fetus: study

Jan 17, 2013

A large study concluded that it is safer for pregnant mothers to be vaccinated during pregnancy. According to the journal from scientists at the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, vaccination during pregnancy reduces the risk of fetal death by 25 percent. 　The study had a sample of 113,331 mothers who had been pregnant between spring 2009 and fall 2010, when the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic was in full swing. The study result shows that there were 492
Age has no correlation with cancer treatment: study

Jan 17, 2013

The effectiveness of cancer treatment depends on the patient’s willingness to survive and physical condition rather than their age, a recent survey showed. Professor Lee Sang-hyub from Seoul National University Bundang Hospital conducted a study on 531 patients diagnosed with biliary tract cancer from 2003 to 2011. The average survival period for 205 patients over 65 and 326 patients under 65 was 15 months and 11 months, respectively. The study, published in Journal of the American Geriatrics So
Berries may reduce heart attack risk

Jan 15, 2013

Women who ate at least three servings of blueberries and strawberries per week had fewer heart attacks, U.S. and British researchers say. Senior author Eric Rimm of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston said blueberries and strawberries were used simply because they are the most eaten berries in the United States. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of East Anglia in England conducted a prospective study among 93,600 women ages 25-42, part of the Nurses‘
Child obesity linked to fat parents: report

Jan 14, 2013

Children with fat parents or in poor families are at higher risk for becoming obese, according to a report released Monday.Researchers at Inje University Paik Hospital said children who have a higher body mass index tend to have parents with a higher BMI than average. Korean adults who have a BMI of 25 or higher are classified as obese.The team led by professor Kang Jae-heon at Department of Family Medicine studied 1,502 elementary students for the past two years to find major factors that incre
Empty praise can harm children: psychologist

Jan 14, 2013

Excessively complimenting children can harm their confidence, a U.S. psychologist claimed.Stephen Grosz, who teaches psychoanalytic theory at University College London, alleged that parents may be putting their children’s confidence at risk by bombarding them with “empty” compliments, such as “You really are an artist,” or “You’re so clever.”“Empty praise is as bad as thoughtless criticism -- it expresses indifference to the child’s feelings and thoughts,” Grosz was quoted by the Daily Mail as s
Device produces 'high-tech bulimia'

Jan 11, 2013

A device sucks food out of the stomach after eating so only about a third of the calories are kept in the body, helping in weight loss, its U.S. inventors say.The group of inventors, including the creator of the Segway, said patients eat a meal, wait 20 minutes, then empty 30 percent of their stomach contents into the toilet via a tube -- a small, handheld device, which connects to a skin-port discretely embedded on the outside of the abdomen.Calories not digested are calories not absorbed, whic
Ministry to support eye-drop vaccine project

Jan 10, 2013

The Ministry of Health and Welfare will offer 3.4 billion won ($3.2 million) of funding to a research project developing eye-drop vaccines, officials said.The fund will be given to a team led by professor Seo Kyong-ryul of Severance Hospital in Seoul for the next five years. Seo has been developing an eye-drop vaccine to prevent typhoid fever as alternative to existing vaccines injected through needles.The state-run Korea Institute for Science and Technology and Huons, a local bio-tech firm, wil
Ceragem’s hemoglobin tester gets KFDA’s approval

Jan 10, 2013

CERA-CHEK HB Plus, a hemoglobin tester developed by Ceragem Medisys, has obtained approval from Korea Food and Drug Agency and will be promoted in the local markets, the bio-tech firm said in a statement Thursday.Ceragem is the first company in Korea to apply new electro-chemical biosensor technology to a product. The latest technology allows customers check the level of hemoglobin in their blood within 5 seconds and with only 1 micro-liter of blood, it said.The product features a side-grip stri
‘Digital health’ movement in focus at CES

Jan 10, 2013

LAS VEGAS (AFP) ― With an app, a game or a gadget, technology startups and major companies across all sectors are trying to tackle some of the thorniest problems in health and medicine.The Consumer Electronics Show is filled with new gadgets to monitor fitness, detect problems and find solutions to health issues ranging from obesity to diabetes to rare medical conditions.One trend is “gamification,” which uses a model from the video game industry to offer points and rewards to boost health and r
Samsung hospital completes Korea’s first artificial heart pump transplant

Jan 10, 2013

A Seoul hospital has successfully conducted the first-ever transplant of an artificial heart pump in the country, hospital officials said Thursday.The operation took place in August when a 75-year-old patient suffering from congestive heart failure received a left ventricular assist device (VAD), according to the officials at Samsung Medical Center.A VAD is a mechanical circulatory device typically used for patients suffering from congestive heart failure. The left VAD used in the operation was